Elizabeth Cushman Titus Putnam is an American conservationist whom in 2010 won the second highest civilian award, the Presidential Citizens Medal, and was the first conservationist to have ever won the honor. [1] She founded the Student Conservation Association in 1957[2] and served as its President until 1990.[3] Ms. Putnam graduated from Miss Porter's School in 1952[4] and from Vassar in 1955.[5] She currently resides in Shaftsbury, Vermont,[6] and the Vermont legislature passed act R-107 in her honor.[7]